I would like to share with you, dear readers, a few wonderful examples of souvenirs, which I found in the archives, produced for the occasion of the Romanian Coronation in 1922, dedicated to King Ferdinand and Queen Marie.

I am pleased to announce the opening on 6th of September 2012 of an exhibition at the National History Museum of Romania dedicated to the anniversary of 90 years since the Coronation of the sovereign couple King Ferdinand and Queen Marie on 15 October 1922 in Alba-Iulia (Transylvania). DM

King Ferdinand I & Queen Marie of Romania w. Regalia, October 1922. Photos by Guggenberger Mairovits

This is a trailer from the documentary film entitled “Coroana Romaniei” (“The Crown of Romania”), directed by Marian Baciu from Sahia Studios in Bucharest, produced in 2010. The author of this blog presents the reigns of King Carol I, King Carol II, and His Majesty King Michael, together with the historian Valentin Mandache. King Ferdinand and his achievements are likewise surveyed. DM

This post is dedicated to the anniversary tomorrow, 24 August, of King Ferdinand of Romania’s birthday (1865 – 1927), the sovereign of the country during the Great War.

The citizens of Zatreni in south west Romania, paid a high price during the Great War, with 233 men killed in action, a huge loss for a village. The memorial on the village green dedicated to the local heroes features a well rendered effigy of King Ferdinand, the supreme commander of the Romanian army, seen in the above photograph. The monument, most amazingly, survived the the communist period, probably because there was no inscription mentioning the sovereign’s name on the monument, which made the local communist authorities to propagate the idea that the bas-relief represented just a Great War era soldier personifying the army. Romania’s entry into the war on the side of the Entente was decided by a special Crown Council on 27 August 1916. DM

King Ferdinand’s Proclamation – 28 August 1916

Romanians! The war which for the last two years has been encircling our frontiers more and more closely has shaken the ancient foundations of Europe to their depths. It has brought the day which has been awaited for centuries by the national conscience, by the founders of the Romanian State, by those who united the principalities in the war of independence, by those responsible for the national renaissance. It is the day of the union of all branches of our nation. Today we are able to complete the task of our forefathers and to establish forever what Michael the Brave was only able to establish for a short moment, namely, a Romanian union on both slopes of the Carpathians. […] In our moral energy and our valour lie the means of giving him back his birthright of a great and free Rumania from the Tisza to the Black Sea, and to prosper in peace in accordance with our customs and our hopes and dreams.

Romanians! Animated by the holy duty imposed upon us, and determined to bear manfully all the sacrifices inseparable from an arduous war, we will march into battle with the irresistible élan of a people firmly confident in its destiny. The glorious fruits of victory shall be our reward. Forward, with the help of God! FERDINAND [Source: Records of the Great War, vol.V, National Alumni, 1923]

On 30 July 1900 Queen Victoria’s second son, Alfred died at Rosenau, Coburg. I would like to present here, as a fitting tribute to the Duke of Saxe Coburg Gotha, extracts from the letters exchanged between his wife, Marie Alexandrovna and Marie of Romania, one of their daughters, documents originating in archive sources, so far unpublished. In May-June 1900, the Duke went for spa treatment to Herculesbad in Austria – Hungary (the spa town is included today within the territory of Romania and is called Baile Herculane) and had a meeting there with his son in law, the Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania.

The Duchess of Coburg wrote about Alfred’s illness to her daugher on 16 July, just two weeks before his death (nb: the English language inaccuracies in these letters stem from the fact that the Duchess was not a native speaker and Marie left England at a formative age, a fact impeding her early writing styles):

‘I was terribly distressed when I at last heard the truth about Papa! He must have suffered terribly and we know nothing about it. I had a great anguish at heart the whole time and the feeling besides that one could be of no use to him. But it all seemed so distressing to leave him quite alone there. Yet, knowing his character, I never could insist on journey him, which would have made him furious. Is his entourage really dishonest, or were they not alarmed at his condition? How could they otherwise have let me go on all those journeys? I really think, that as Papa insisted himself on this cure and it seemed such a failure he would not talk about it. He has happily put off the séjour at Reinhardsbrunn and all the guests, including the Albany tribe, which is a great relief. Only I don’t know what he is going to propose instead.’

On 23 July, princess Marie wrote impressions about her father’s unbearable suffering:

‘We have been dreadfully anxious about Papa. I do think it is worse than they let you imagine. But Papa’s own telegrams are too curious, he talks as if there was nothing to matter with him, but we received a letter from the doctor in which he did not hide that his condition was really not good. As it seems the abscesses form now continually on the tongue and small operations have frequently to be undertaken, let alone the unbearable suffering, the feeding becomes always more difficult. I honestly tell you Mama it makes my heart heavy as I really think he is in a very bad state! And what will you do with him when he comes home! I believe now one hardly understands what he says his tongue is in such a state. I feel awfully sad about it. Of course there is no reason why he should not get all right but it will be long a wearisome and I always ask myself what on earth will you do with him!’